Who Should the Mammoth Target at the NHL Trade Deadline?

The Ice Age Swap?

Ryan O’Reilly is an interesting candidate for the Mammoth. At 34 years old, the centerman definitely would be the old man in the room if the Mammoth were to pull the trigger. O’Reilly would bring goal-scoring and major experience (both of which are necessary to make a deep playoff run) to the team. 

He won the Frank J. Selke trophy in 2019 for his astounding year with the St Louis Blues – a Blues team that won the Stanley Cup that year, built by the current Mammoth general manager Armstrong. The Mammoth needs center depth and having a center with 18 seasons of experience could prove invaluable, especially if the Mammoth are going up against highly decorated veteran playoff teams. 

O’Reilly has the third-most goals scored (21 goals) and is tied for first in assists (37 assists) on the Nashville Predators. He might come cheaper than other candidates on this list, having one year left on his deal. With a team trying to find consistency, a Stanley Cup legend could be the key ingredient they need for a magical cup run.

Fanning the Flames

Another name the Mammoth could look into is Nazem Kadri. The Flames are looking for a suitor for Kadri, another Stanley Cup champion, as they sit with a record of 24-28-7.

With rebuild written all over the wall for the franchise, they’ll look to dump some of their veteran players. Though he’s not scoring as many goals as he did last season, Kadri makes up for it with assists (29 assists this season).

If the Mammoth snagged Kadri at the deadline, they would hope to restore him to his 2021 form, when he scored 28 goals and 59 assists. The center, much like O’Reilly, could provide much-needed seniority on the young Mammoth team.

Kadri earned his keep for the Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup in 2022, scoring seven goals and eight assists during that playoff run. Besides experience, the Mammoth would have him for three more years under his current contract. However, the Flames would want Mammoth prospect Tij Iginla in return, and Armstrong doesn’t seem too keen on giving up his top prospects too easily. 

Kadri also stated that he wants to be on a contender, which the Mammoth aren’t right now — unless Kadri himself can elevate the team’s game to a whole new level.

Is the Mammoth Price Really Right?

The Mammoth are heavily rumored to trade for Robert Thomas from the Blues. The Blues are finally waving the white flag, accepting that a rebuild looms over the horizon. Thomas could be an amazing piece for the Mammoth. The 26-year-old center fits the Mammoth’s young timeline and would contribute to much-needed goal scoring and assist-making.

Last season, Thomas scored 81 points off 21 goals and 60 assists. Though he’s not quite on a Clayton Keller level of point production, he could thrive on a team with multiple goal scorers like Dylan Guenther. Plus, the young center has experience winning a Stanley Cup. He aided the aforementioned O’Reilly in achieving their goal of winning the cup in the center’s very first year of NHL play. 

Thomas may seem like a no-brainer when it comes to a deal; however, past injuries have plagued his career. To make matters more complicated, Thomas is in the third year of an eight-year-long contract extension.

Reports indicate the Blues want three major assets in return – whether it be a high draft pick, a top-15-picked prospect, or a young up-and-coming talent, all packaged together. A high price for a player yet to break the 90-point barrier. Though Thomas would raise the floor for the Mammoth, would he be worth the payout of much of their young prospect talent, and say a Barrett Hayton?

Dark Horse Candidate

Jason Robertson should be another name GM Armstrong monitors. With contract negotiations falling short, Robertson could look to another team to pay his bill. It would take a hefty amount of assets and probably one of the Mammoth’s great players to get the American left wing. However, Robertson would more than make up for the price with his offensive output.

The young wing in the 2022-23 season put up 109 points on 46 goals and 63 assists. This season, Robertson already scored 34 goals and 36 assists, well on his way to another 80-point season. If the Mammoth could have another bona fide goal scorer on their roster, just imagine how other players like Logan Cooley or Guenther would thrive if the defensive gameplan wasn’t focused on them. 

Robertson would more than raise the ceiling for this young Mammoth squad, and at 26 years old, he fits the timeline with the rest of the Mammoth core. It remains a mystery to what it would take to get the player to Utah, and do the Mammoth want to fork out the money to pay him? Some insiders predict that Robertson could ask for a $12 million per-year contract.

The Mammoth’s eager owner, Ryan Smith, might be fine pushing that bill, but what would they have to sacrifice to bring Robertson here? Most likely, a player like a JJ Peterka or a Nick Schmaltz would have to be part of the deal, and is that worth it for the front office to tear apart that chemistry to make that deal?

Deal or No Deal

This is a pivotal trade deadline for the Mammoth to truly solidify themselves as a playoff contender. It’s been almost five years since this club made it into the postseason (not since they were the Arizona Coyotes in 2020).

If the Mammoth wants a chance at winning a playoff series this year, they should trade for an elite veteran talent. Teams like the Florida Panthers moved ahead of schedule when they traded for Matthew Tkachuk.

Perhaps this is the season the Mammoth makes a move for their own kind of Tkachuk to turn around and enter the realm of postseason glory. They’ve already started by trading for defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, and who’s to say they’re done?